Matt Kuchar, Bill Haas, Marc Leishman Among Final Commitments as Field is Nearly Set for 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open

PHOENIX – Seven-time PGA TOUR winner Matt Kuchar, 2009 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Marc Leishman and six-time PGA TOUR winner Bill Haas and are among the final players to commit to play in the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by Ak-Chin Indian Community, set to tee it up January 29-February 4 at TPC Scottsdale. A field of 132 players will vie for the $6.9 million purse, the $1,242,000 first-place check and 500 FedExCup points.

The field for next week’s tournament is nearly set as three sponsor exemptions and three qualifying spots are still up for grabs.

PGA TOUR members had until 5 p.m. today to commit to play in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Eligible players are assigned one of 34 PGA TOUR priority ranking categories based on their past performance on TOUR. The field will continue to change as players with higher priority rankings commit to play in the Open.

The 2018 field now includes 22 of the Top-50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. Jon Rahm (2) is the highest-ranked player currently in the field, which features four of the Top-5, five of the Top-10 and 11 of the Top-25 in the OWGR. Other ranked players in the field include Jordan Spieth (3), Justin Thomas (4), Hideki Matsuyama (5), Rickie Fowler (7), Marc Leishman (13), Matt Kuchar (16), Alex Noren (19), Francesco Molinari (22), Charley Hoffman (23), Patrick Reed (24), Xander Schauffele (26), Daniel Berger (31), Kevin Chappell (32), Webb Simpson (38), Si-Woo Kim (40), Tony Finau (44), Kyle Stanley (45), Phil Mickelson (46), Zach Johnson (47) Brendan Steele (48), and Russell Henley (49).

The 2018 field also has five former WM Phoenix Open champions including Matsuyama (2016, 2017), Mickelson (1996, 2005 and 2013) and Aaron Baddeley (2007), J.B. Holmes (2006, 2008) and Kyle Stanley (2012).

Kuchar is a seven-time winner on the PGA TOUR with victories in five of the last eight seasons including the 2012 PLAYERS Championship. He represented the United States on four winning Ryder Cup teams (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016), four Presidents Cup teams (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) and took home the Bronze Medal during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.Marc Leishman jumped onto the PGA TOUR circuit in 2009 in which a second-place finish at the BMW Championship and two additional top-10s and eight top-25s was good enough to win PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors. Last year was Leishman’s best to date with two wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the BMW Championship on his way to a sixth-place finish in FedExCup standings.

Haas has accumulated six PGA TOUR wins in his 14-year professional career including the 2013 AT&T National, the 2015 Humana Challenge and the 2011 TOUR Championship. Haas was also a member of the victorious United States Presidents Cup teams in 2011, 2013 and 2015.

Non-committed players participating in the Farmers Insurance Open have a half-hour from the end of second round play to commit. In addition, any previously uncommitted players placing in the Top-10 at the Farmers Insurance Open also can commit to play Sunday evening.

The 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open Presented by Ak-Chin Indian Community will be held at TPC Scottsdale January 29 – February 4, 2018. “The People’s Open” is the best-attended golf tournament in the world and has gained legendary status for being the most unique stop on the PGA TOUR. The 2017 tournament broke four attendance records, including a PGA TOUR record 655,434 fans for the week. The 2018 edition will mark the 83rd playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the ninth as the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The Thunderbirds were founded in 1937 with the mission of promoting the Valley of the Sun through sports. The Thunderbirds consist of 55 “active” members and more than 250 “life” members. In 2017 The Thunderbirds raised a record $10.1 million for charity from proceeds from last year’s tournament and have eclipsed $122 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932. For more information on The Thunderbirds, visit www.thunderbirdscharities.org.